Sabathia pitches in and out of a first and third, one-out situation thanks to a perfect pitch to Nate, Son of Louth, on the outside corner, not to mention a tight 2-3 play to retire Lew Ford -- it sure is nice of Buck Showalter to put the team mascot in the starting lineup -- a little earlier in the frame.

Meanwhile, Hammel can't be much longer for this game. The Yankees have three hits and four walks and he's going to finish this inning well over 110 pitches. The man is pitching with some kind of science-fiction knee armor, a sentient computer that is beaming pitch trajectories to his brain. That's the only explanation for the way he's dodged his way through trouble in this game. That and a couple of unnecessary outs on the bases.

Just as I finished typing those words, Nick Swisher singled and Hammel was gone. Now Showalter gets to deploy his team's best asset, starting with spot lefty Troy "General" Patton.